John Turner was quartered at Gibraltar. He was a fair scholar, had a good opinion of himself, and was a bombardier. In the summer of 1769, the Emperor of Morocco sent a request to the Governor of Gibraltar for an Artilleryman to explain certain matters in gunnery, and to act as a tutor in the military art to the young Prince, his son. In 1872, it is probable that for such an appointment candidates would be innumerable, and would embrace even General Officers among their numbers. Possibly in Gibraltar, the Emperor was not very highly esteemed; be that, however, as it may, Bombardier John Turner was selected. He was to receive thirty-five dollars per month, besides certain other advantages, and this fact was very present to his mind during his absence. At first, a circumstance which occurred vexed John Turner's soul sorely: the wind having detained him some days, the Governor was relieved by one who would not assume the responsibility of letting him go, without an order from England. Until November the honest man was kept fretting and pining, but in the end he was rewarded not merely by the permission to go himself, but by an order to take with him two matrosses, who greatly swelled his importance. On the 3rd of December, he and his comrades landed about six miles from Tetuan, whither they were conveyed on mules and lodged in a house where they were treated "beyond their expectation." It was but seldom that in this respect John Turner's expectations were exceeded. He had a letter to the Governor, which he insisted on presenting; and with much presence of mind, on the morning after his arrival, he demanded an advance of money for himself and comrades. This was granted; but, as he plaintively wrote, it was made the subject of much misrepresentation, and he was reprimanded by his superiors in Gibraltar, on the story reaching them. The fact was, he innocently said, that he had borrowed some money on his note of hand in Gibraltar, "to clear some little obligations under which we lay," and the note met him at Tetuan, where he was led to believe he would be put in funds to pay it. On the 17th, the party left in great state "with an Alcayde and three horsemen for our guard, hired horses to ride on, and mules to carry our baggage and camp equipage." They encamped every night near some village, and the inhabitants were compelled to bring them food, and find sentinels for their baggage, under pain of being taken as rebels to the Emperor, for which purpose chains were carried by the escort. The good bombardier describes in his report at some length the nature of the food, some of which he was pleased to consider very good eating. At last they reached the place where the young Prince was encamped, and from that moment John Turner became an old man of the sea to that unhappy youth, and when he had any complaint to make would go nowhere but to head-quarters. His early interviews with the Prince, and every word that passed between them are duly chronicled. He accompanied him to Mequinez, and immediately sought the Emperor's Secretary, to whom he had letters. The frank manners of that official at first charmed John; but he soon found him to be but "a master of the French address, joined to all the villainies of the Court of Morocco, and a Jew in the very essence of the word." In a few days he had an interview with the Emperor himself, who in the course of conversation asked to see his instruments. It may interest the modern Artilleryman to know what a bombardier's instruments were in the year 1770. Those which John produced were his "quadrant, perpendicular, and Gunter's scales, together with a case of mathematical instruments."
The unfortunate bombardier never saw his instruments after he once let them into the young Prince's hands, and this called forth very severe strictures from him on princely nature. "Plundering," he writes, "is what these Princes are taught from their infancy."
The Emperor having expressed a wish to see the three Artillerymen throw a shell, they complied. The mortar was of a different calibre from any they had ever seen, nor did they know anything about the range; fortunately, however, they made a good guess, and the Emperor was much pleased with the practice. He ordered them a daily supply of provisions, "which order, however, was never complied with but in part."
From this moment John's domestic troubles were very great. While he had enough meat he never abused it; but when his allowance was cut short, he described it as "carrion meat." He was quartered in a Jew's house, and the Jew plundered him sorely, depriving him of the best part of his provisions. He said little, but thought a good deal; and receiving no satisfaction from the Imperial Secretary, demanded to see the Prince, who came to him immediately. "I acquainted him how ill we were treated with regard to provisions, and as our money was all gone begged of His Royal Highness to take some method that we might be better supplied. He asked whose fault it was. I answered, 'The Chief of the Jews.' He ordered our interpreter to go and tell him that if he did not find us everything, as his father had ordered, he would cut off his head, and burn his body; and desired, whenever we found him in the least deficient, to call a guard of Moors, and bring the Chief of the Jews to him, and we should see him executed. He then dismissed us, and we went home, and almost as soon as we went there one of the Prince's black servants came with the Chief of the Jews, and a halter about his neck, and told us by the interpreter that he was ordered to bring him there, and give him fifty bastinados in our presence, which he did, notwithstanding we offered to buy off the punishment with six ounces."
The climax of John Turner's narrative is when he describes a day's shell practice with the Prince in presence of the Emperor, when the powder of the country, of whose strength John was ignorant, was used. The young Prince made good practice with it, but as he would not impart the secret of its strength, the Artillerymen made very indifferent shooting. His Majesty remonstrated, making invidious comparisons, which roused John Turner into reminding the Emperor with due deference that he came there to instruct His Majesty's subjects in the English method of practice, not to be instructed by the Prince—he being master of his business before he came there.
Another day's practice followed: The Prince hit the mark with one of his shells, the bombardier did not. It was a painful circumstance; but the conceit of John Turner did not fail him. He first blamed the powder, and then asserted that, notwithstanding his failure to hit the mark, his general practice was infinitely superior to that of his Royal pupil. And he submitted a chart of the day's shooting in support of his statement.
It is but fair to say that Bombardier Turner was most conscientious in performing another duty which was enjoined upon him, the construction of a small laboratory. He writes with the greatest scorn of the native artificers, but he succeeded in making them do what he wished. Just, however, as he had overcome the main difficulties, his peace of mind was disturbed by his two chronic wants, lack of money and scarcity of provisions. This time he resolved to write to the Emperor himself; and endeavoured to get some one to translate his remonstrances into Arabic with that view. He failed, however, and had to content himself with the Prince, whose life, by means of his interpreter, he was able to make a burden to him.
The reader of his report is not surprised to find that after a very short time his services were dispensed with, and he was directed to return to Gibraltar. A man who insists on afflicting royalty with the most trivial complaints becomes a very unwelcome inmate of a despotic Court.
So John and his comrades started, grumbling to the last, and his conceit and self-importance manifesting themselves at every stage of the journey. Carefully mentioning that he was still allowed an Imperial escort, he points out another instance of shabby treatment to which he was exposed. It should be mentioned that when the horses requisite for his comfort were not forthcoming, the gallant bombardier always declined to move. On one evening he was informed that the requisite cattle would be ready next morning. "Our things being ready by the time," he writes, "I went to see the cattle that was prepared for us. I found only four mules barely sufficient to carry our baggage. I enquired where I and the two men were to ride, and was informed—on the top of the baggage. I said that since I had been in the country I was never asked to travel in this manner; neither did I think His Majesty would be pleased if he knew how we were treated; and, moreover, not any of my baggage should be moved until three saddle-horses should be brought for me and my companions. He said, as for me, I might ride on one of his horses, but I absolutely refused, adding it was equally my duty to take care of those men as of myself, and until I saw cattle enough to carry us and our baggage, I would not stir from the place, unless it was to return and acquaint the Emperor of our usage."
It is sufficient to say that on this, as on every similar occasion, the bombardier carried his point.